The subject application is directed to a system and method for controlled monitoring of pending document processing operations. In particular, the subject application is directed to a system and method for secure and confidential queue management.
Current multi-functional peripheral devices or document processing devices allow any user to view the list of pending document processing operations. Viewing of document processing queues allows a user to know their relative position, and thus gauge the wait time until processing will be commenced or completed. Also, a user may choose to view, release, hold, or delete pending jobs from a queue, or mark a job for additional copies to be made. This poses a problem if a user has transmitted a job containing sensitive or confidential information, such as financial information, wherein any user has the ability to gain access to or manipulate such document processing job. As such, any user could print the document processing job containing the confidential information, thereby gaining access to information to which the user is not entitled.
Another concern for queue management in a shared document processing environment is information contained in a listing of queued jobs, themselves. For example, a pending job entitled “Job Review Report For J. Smith,” communicates information from the job title itself, thus posing additional loss of confidentiality without having access to job content.
It would be desirable to have a queue management system that allows for security in both document content and job name, which allows users to access and view their own jobs, while still providing useful knowledge of queue status without knowledge as to particulars of jobs of others.
The subject application overcomes the above noted problems and provides a system and method for controlled monitoring of pending document processing operations.